LETTER: Newton Power Choice is 'opt-in' not 'opt-out'

Wednesday

Apr 25, 2018 at 3:20 PMApr 25, 2018 at 3:20 PM

To the editor:

An article posted on April 2 described the Newton Power Choice program coming to Newton and the enthusiastic support voiced for the program at a City Hall meeting on March 28. As the article described, Newton Power Choice will provide more renewable power for Newton electric customers than Eversource is currently required by state law to provide. It will also stabilize electricity rates and protect electric customers from the calls and emails they are receiving urging them to buy electricity from any number of different electricity brokers.

Importantly, the article emphasized that this is a city program, and that there is no other measure the city can adopt to reduce our carbon footprint so dramatically.

One issue addressed in the article bears clarification. Newton Power Choice is an “opt-out,” not an “opt-in” program. That means that if electric customers take no action at all, they will be part of the program at the “standard” level of renewables that the city decides on. However, in addition to other choices, customers will have the option to opt out of the program at any time with no charge, or to opt up to purchase all of their electricity from renewable sources.

Regardless of what customers choose, Eversource will continue to be their delivery utility. In other words, electricity bills will still come from Eversource and will look the same as they currently do. There will be no separate bill and it is still Eversource that customers will call if their power goes out in a storm.